When the Don Tyson School of Innovation, a STEM-focused charter school, opened in Springdale, Steicy Lopez had to persuade her parents to let her transfer. Unlike most public schools, it didn’t have a band or sports teams — its focus was almost entirely academic.

“It was the right fit for me, but I also realized it may not be a good fit for other students,” Lopez said. “It got me thinking about why people choose to switch school types and how that affects the system as a whole. Arkansas is pushing the boundaries with school choice, vouchers and education savings accounts. This is the place to education reform right now.”

In 2023, the Arkansas LEARNS Act expanded school choice by allowing students to enroll in districts outside their own and introducing state-funded vouchers for private, parochial, and homeschool options. It also created the Educational Freedom Account Program, a tuition-first education savings account model.

Lopez, an Honors College Fellow and economics major, is tracking the shifts families made between public, private, homeschooling and non-enrollment options during the pandemic and other major periods of change. Supported by an Honors College Research Grant, her research analyzes a nationally representative sample, offering a detailed examination of the socioeconomic factors influencing these choices, along with insights into perceptual and political characteristics.

Under the mentorship of Gema Zamarro , professor of education reform and economics, Lopez identified key factors that drive these shifts — such as income, education, attitudes toward COVID-19 and political leanings. While the socioeconomic factors were expected to impact the results, some interesting findings have also emerged, including correlations in school choice with media outlet preferences.

“Steicy’s honors thesis addresses a very timely and policy-relevant topic,” Zamarro said. “The pandemic was challenging for schools, parents and students. As a result, we have observed substantial changes in the K-12 education system in the U.S.  This research helps document these trends nationally and gets a better understanding of the characteristics of parents who transitioned to other school sectors during the pandemic. Steicy wants to use economics to help inform policy and practice, and I think her work has the potential to exactly do so.”

Lopez’s research found that during the pandemic, many students left public schools for homeschooling or non-enrollment, raising concerns about regulation and data gaps. As school choice expands, she calls for policy changes to help public schools retain students and address pandemic-related learning setbacks.

Lopez will continue her studies in school economics and education research at the University of Chicago — following in the footsteps of Milton Friedman, the American economist, statistician and 1976 Nobel laureate — as she pursues her master’s degree in economics.

“I’m so excited,” Lopez said with a smile. “It’s an honor to study in the same library as the people who developed the economic principles I’ve learned in my courses. The University of Chicago also has a great infrastructure for experimental research and history of studying long-term effects, which is very important in education research.”

Steicy Lopez presented her research at the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by University of Arkansas Libraries and the Honors College.

Lopez’s interest in Friedman deepened when she became a CAPITAF Scholar, a program centered on his PBS series Free to Choose and his book Capitalism and Freedom (University of Chicago Press, 1962). Hosted at CAPITAF, Milton and Rose Friedman’s former summer home in Vermont, where the book was written, the program is run by the organization that produced Friedman’s original PBS series. Following her experience in Vermont, Lopez was invited back as an intern to help lead the program.

“There is a library next to the house, so I had access to all of his books over the summer,” she shared. “It was the perfect internship for me. I was able to participate in discussions about economics, visit Dartmouth and enjoy maple syrup.”

As she prepares for graduation, Lopez reflects on how the Honors College Fellowship has supported her research and future.

“Without the fellowship, I wouldn’t be able to study,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to attend a university at all. As a first-generation college student, with no family history of higher education, I had no idea where to even start.”

Lopez’s passion extends beyond her research; she also envisions herself in a mentorship role, helping younger, first-generation students succeed at the university.

“Consistency and discipline are the most important,” Lopez said. “Staying consistent and prioritizing balance are what kept my studies sustainable.”